Natura 2000 The toolkit for nature conservation in the EU

Wouter LanghoutEU Nature Policy Officer at BirdLife Europe

BE-NATUR, 12 November 2013

Introduction1. Why manage Natura 2000 sites?2. Is the current management of Natura 2000

sufficient?3. What is needed to manage the Natura 2000

network?4. What action is underway at EU level?5. What further action is needed?

Why manage Natura 2000 sites?• Favourable conservation status

– Birds and Habitats Directive– Species and habitats of Community interest

Why manage Natura 2000 sites?• Unlocking the full potential of Natura 2000

– Ecosystem services

Is the current management of Natura 2000 sufficient?• Work is in progress…

Is the current management of Natura 2000 sufficient?• … but more is needed!

What is needed to manage the Natura 2000 network?Management planning• Conservation objectives on site level• Management plan

– Written document – One or more sites– Agreed with stakeholders in a participatory process– Conservation measures– Publicly available

• Site manager

What is needed to manage the Natura 2000 network?Financial resources• Costs of managing the Natura 2000 network

– Estimated by IEEP (2010) on € 5.8 billion– Includes management, monitoring, land purchase– About 67% recurrent costs– Currently only 20% available through EU funds

• Benefits of managing the Natura 2000 network– Monetary valuation of benefits is a challenge– Case studies show a great added value

What action is underway at EU level?Sectoral integration• Common Fisheries Policy• Common Agricultural Policy• Soil Directive

Implementation• Water Framework Directive

What action is underway at EU level?Environmental inspections• Proposal in the making• Compliance assurance and promotion

– Risk assessment– Prioritisation strategy– Inspections plan and schedule

• Need to increase human resources

What action is underway at EU level?Green infrastructure• Landscape approach to conservation• Sustainable use zones, connectivity zones• Green roofs, hedgerows, flood plains

Restoration of ecosystems• Member States to restore 15% of degraded

ecosystems• Large potential, but results yet unclear

Conclusions• Management of Natura 2000 is important

– Achieve favourable conservation status– Unlock potential of ecosystem services

• Hard work is being done, but management is not sufficient• Management of Natura 2000 requires

– Planning– Adequate financial resources

• New EU instruments can be helpful, but need political support

http://europe.birdlife.org